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Does studying translation and interpreting translate into an actual working degree? The answer is a resounding YES. Several well accredited universities and specialty schools offer foreign language degrees up to the Master’s level. With more and more translation specialists being needed in the business and academic world, and a steadily rising shortage of qualified interpreters affecting the field, a degree in foreign language specialties is not only in demand, but also very lucrative, providing competitive wages in an ever growing industry. Interpreters and Translators Median annual wages, May 2012 Media and communication workers $50,930 Interpreters…

The need for translation services in the U.S. and Canada have been increasing dramatically in the past five years. In the United States, over 41.3 million immigrants have come to live in the country. According to U.S. Census Bureau information from 2013, this group accounted for 13% of the overall U.S. population that year. As early as 2011, the tremendous influx of new foreign residents in North America was becoming notably apparent. Among the G8 countries, Canada had the largest foreign-born population at the time, at 20.6 %, which was followed by the United States at 12.9 %. With the…

For decades now, Europe and North America have been the dominant forces in the translation service industry. But with the enormous growth rate of Asian companies that have been out-pacing the world marketplace, language translation companies have been scrambling to bridge the gap between the East and West by providing companies with an important and integral part of a successful global business relationship – accurate worldwide communication! Europe Europe’s translation market has been steadily growing in the E.U., which was once exclusively pertained to French, Italian, German, and Spanish speaking regional translators. With the creation of the European Union, Europe’s…

From Google Translate to Babylon: navigating the minefield that is free translation when learning a language (and how to avoid embarrassing mistakes). The Force is Strong… There is an internet rumour/urban legend that goes like this: in Star Wars, Yoda’s unique style of speech was created by first translating his dialogue into Hungarian and then translating it directly back into English, word for word. Hungarian has a very different word order to English and makes use of suffixes rather than prepositions, resulting in ‘Yoda-tongue’ when back-translated. Whether there is any truth to this is unclear, but what is likely…

If you’ve travelled at all you’re bound to have come across some signs that have gotten a bit lost in translation, and where most of these are harmless and amusing, there have been many well documented cases over the years that have proved problematic. Translating copy takes more than just an online Google app for it to be done properly, as it also involves a good understanding of syntax, phraseology, and the etymology of words to be done effectively, and here are a few examples of how it can all go horribly wrong: 1. Driving In Tokyo Hired cars in…

Many people are confused with the difference between translation and interpreting – so what are they? They both deal with communications in different languages, and changing one language to another, but essentially the main difference is regarding the method of communication, whether it is written or spoken. It is a commonly held belief that a translator can act as an interpreter, and vice versa; the two jobs are not, however, interchangeable. In saying that, the major differences between translation and interpreting are: 1. Time to Perform When documents are translated, the translator has time to read, re-read if necessary, and…

Whilst many people these days can speak at least one language in addition to their mother tongue, there are also those who can speak several other languages to a high level. Numerous people throughout the ages have used their linguistic abilities to perform fantastic translation feats, including opening up the world of literature and poetry, cracking codes and ancient languages, maintaining political stability, and generally enabling different cultures to learn more about others. Four incredible translators include: 1. Ioannis Ikonomou: 32 languages and counting A native Greek speaker, Ioannis Ikonomou started learning foreign languages from the tender age of six…